Tribute
by cullen's pet
Summary: "Merlin," Pansy breathed as she stared glassy-eyed at a tomato-red Neville. "That was scorching hot. What is this? Some sort of muggle porn?" "I think the proper term would be erotica," Harry answered as he adjusted his shirt collar. The classroom was suddenly very warm. This story is a tribute to all my favorite authors in the Harry Potter fandom. May you enjoy them as much as I


Disclaimer: I don't own anything that belongs to the Potterverse. It all belongs to the genius JKR. I also don't own any of the stories quoted in the following story. That material belongs to their respective author.

A/N: Hello, dear readers! I'm back! I know I've been rather quiet this year but I have something new for you today. This will be a very lengthy note, but it is necessary. This story is a personal tribute to my very favorite authors in the Harry Potter fandom. Before I begin, I'd like to state that before I wrote this, I contacted each author and got permission to quote their story in my story. If I didn't get permission, I didn't use their story. It is a shame because there are a fair few authors missing from my tribute. But alas, I didn't receive a reply when I contacted them soooo... moving on. I've compiled a list of the stories that I sampled and the author that will also be repeated in the following story. They are in order of appearance:

Switch by RZZMG

Trust Me by RZZMG

Eros and Psyche by RZZMG

Against the Wall With Lucius Malfoy by Laurielove

Ex Castro Tiberius by Lilmissxx

Of Walls and Possession by Lilmissxx

Dirty by aviddaydreamer

These Little Earthquakes by DarkRiverTempest

To the Victor Go the Spoils by DarkRiverTempest

Butterfly by Savva

Veelantine Surprise by Unseenlibrarian

Murder Splits the Soul by Winterblume

Again, I'd like to stress that I contacted and sought permission from each author before using any part of their story. I despise plagiarism in any form. This is only my tribute to these fine authors. I hope that you read this and go and check out their work. They are truly a talented bunch. Keep in mind as you're reading that paragraphs in italics are excerpts from the stories that I sampled. So, without further ado, on to the story.

Hermione sucked on the end of her quill idly as she half-listened to Professor Babbling's lecture. A few years ago, she had enjoyed Muggle Studies. It had fascinated her to see the wizarding perception of everyday things that she herself took for granted, like electricity and modern technology. But now, after everything that they had all been through, it seemed rather silly learning how a telephone worked.

She understood why the Ministry made the class compulsory for all Hogwart's students. Even though the war was over, and they had won, didn't mean that it changed the ideas that had made the war possible in the first place. She was all for educating the wizarding world about the place from which she hailed. Those things did nothing to make the class any less tedious for her. She already knew all of the material.

She had spent half her life as a muggle herself. She knew how things worked. Hermione needed constant stimulation and a challenge and this class provided neither of those things for her. She could hardly keep her eyes open some days, much less take notes.

She chanced a glance over at Harry. His eyes were glazed and she knew that his mind wasn't here in class. Harry was like her. He'd grown up in the muggle world. He knew all these things as well. Her eyes trailed to other side of Harry. Ron was doodling idly on his parchment. He wasn't listening either. Ron was a pureblood, but he knew more about the muggle world than most wizards due to his Father's hobby with muggle objects.

Hermione shifted in her seat and let her eyes trail over the Slytherin side of the class room. Each student her eyes passed over had similar looks of boredom etched onto them. It seemed as if no one was really paying attention at all. She wondered if the Professor noticed that the majority of the class wasn't paying attention to a thing that she said.

Her eyes landed on Draco Malfoy. She could honestly say that she was shocked when he returned to Hogwart's. She had thought that he would never return to the scene of his crimes. Although, at his trial, it had come out that he hadn't had much choice in the things that he had to do. Voldemort truly had him between a rock and hard place. She herself had gone to great lengths to protect her parents from the war. It had cost her dearly as well. The charm she used on them was far too powerful to reverse. Wendell and Monica Wilkins were still happily living in Australia with no knowledge that they'd ever had a daughter.

She froze when her eyes finally reached his face. He was staring right back at her. She held his frosty gaze and lifted her eyebrow challengingly. He smirked but his eyes never left hers. He'd been like this for the whole of the year. It was different from his normal taunts and she didn't know how to take it. She couldn't get a read on the man that Draco Malfoy had become.

"I'm going to split the class into two groups," the Professor's voice broke into her impromptu staring contest. Hermione focused her full attention on the teacher once more.

"You will work together for the rest of the period using the google search engine to research the Internet. I want a report turned in describing the types of things that a muggle can do using the Internet. Group one will be as follows: Dean Thomas, Zacharias Smith, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Luna Lovegood, Parvati Patil, Michael Corner, Tracey Davies, Daphne Greengrass, Ernie Macmillan, and Padma Patil. Group two will be Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Pansy Parkinsin, Harry Potter, Lavender Brown, Seamus Finnigan, Hermione Granger, Blaise Zabini, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Theodore Nott."

Hermione groaned internally at having to work with so many Slytherins but moved her stuff dutifully to the other side of the room. Ron was grumbling as he sat down. Thinking of the other members in her group, she was sure that only Harry and herself had had any exposure to the Internet. They all sat in a circle facing each other in silence. She decided to take charge.

"Right," she started and cleared her throat nervously. "So, has anyone other than Harry ever done anything on the Internet or worked with a computer?"

She was met with glassy-eyed stares. "Okay," she said. "Well, first you have to boot up the computer."

She handed one of the net-books that the teacher provided to Harry and she handed one to Lavender. She kept one so that she could show everyone what to do and then she handed one to Blaise Zabini and another to Pansy Parkinson.

She opened her computer and hit the on button. Everyone else followed her lead. They waited a few minutes as the computers turned on and displayed the home screen. She turned hers a little so that they could watch what she was doing.

"Alright, this is called the home screen. Anything that you need to do can be accomplished from this screen. To access the Internet, you use your finger on the sensor and bring the cursor to rest on the circle with the multiple colors."

"Hey," Theodore interrupted. "Those are the same colors as the four houses of Hogwart's."

Hermione smiled at his observation. "It's called an icon. Use your finger to click the button below the sensor twice. That will open the Internet."

They all did as she bade and everyone opened the Internet successfully on the first try. "Now, what shall we search for?" she asked.

"What can we search for?" asked Ginny.

"Anything," Hermione answered. "The Internet is vast and spans the whole globe. If it exists, then it is on the Internet somewhere. Just type in what you want to look for and hit search."

"How about we search for Harry Potter," Neville joked. "He shouldn't be on there."

Neville typed Harry's name into the box and hit the search button. There were several links that appeared on the page. Ron was reading over Neville's shoulder.

"Bloody hell, Harry!" he said. "You're on the Internet! Look at all these choices. Harry Potter wiki. Hey, look at that one. Harry Potter fanfiction on . Click on that one Neville. Let's see what it is."

Neville clicked on the link. The screen opened into what looked like a book listing.

"Blimey," Seamus said as he looked over Harry's screen. "It's stories written by regular people. Look," he pointed at the screen. "There's your name Hermione along with Malfoy's. Looks like you are both in this story."

"What's it called?" Lavender chimed in.

"Switch by RZZMG," Seamus answered. "Wow, it must be good. It has over a thousand reviews. Shall we read a bit of it?"

There was a chorus of affirmatives from around the circle. Hermione had a sinking feeling in her gut. Somehow, she didn't think that this activity was going to turn out as the Professor expected.

Harry cleared his throat and started reading.

_"Three shots later, Malfoy took my hand and led me to the crowded, sweaty dance floor. Packed in close, there was hardly any room to maneuver, and so I found myself pressed intimately into my date whether I wanted to be or not._

_His hands expertly smoothed over my hips as we faced off, dragging me that half-inch closer until our pelvises touched, forcing my body to sway in time to the rhythm of the song along with him. I glanced up and was captivated by the twin orbs of mercurial heat, noting with a quick flicker downward that our lips were poised only an inch or so apart, thanks to my ridiculously high heels. Everything inside and out flushed with heat, the alcohol roaring through my blood as my heart picked up its paces. Between my thighs, the provocative music surrounded and penetrated us took hold and rode me hard; heavy, thumping drum, synthesized keyboard, and DJ remix electronically-altered voice with profane expression worked in tandem with those mysterious dragon eyes of his to completely unmake my defenses."_

"Ummm... Wow," Lavender commented as she fanned herself. "That was hot. What kind of story is that?"

Hermione was blushing hard as everyone looked at her. She saw the heat in Malfoy's eyes as his stare challenged her.

"What?" she asked self consciously. "I didn't write it. Although whomever did was wonderfully descriptive. It is a work of fiction."

"We could make it a reality," Malfoy drawled, his voice arrogant. Somehow, Hermione didn't think that he was kidding.

"Let's read another," Ginny suggested. "Look here's one by the same author called Trust Me. It's about Hermione and Neville."

_"As he pulled away, however, he cloaked himself in the mantle of Hermione's Dominant and took on the role he'd learned how to play so well at the BDSM clubs. Kneeling between her legs, he pulled her up and slipped her calves over his shoulders. Grabbing her arse, he set her at the perfect angle to receive him._

_"Hold onto my wrists," he bid, and she immediately complied. "Do you know what I love most about this position?" he asked. She shook her head in the negative, so he told her. "I can fuck you as hard as I want, Hermione, and when I come, it'll be deep inside you, pouring into your womb."_

_Her eyes glazed over with lusty anticipation._

_He didn't give her any more time to wait. Setting a hard, fast pace from the start, he began thrusting into her with well-practiced, controlled movement. As he anticipated, she took his aggressive pounding and cried for more._

"Merlin," Pansy breathed as she stared glassy-eyed at a tomato-red Neville. "That was scorching hot. What is this? Some sort of muggle porn?"

"I think the proper term would be erotica," Harry answered as he adjusted his shirt collar. The classroom was suddenly very warm.

Hermione was very uncomfortable. She couldn't even look at Neville. She had never thought of him that way and at that moment she was having a hard time thinking of anything else. The area between her thighs was damp and very warm.

"Ohhh...Look," Lavender squealed. "Here's another by RZZMG called Eros and Psyche. This one has multiple pairings."

"Really?" Theodore asked. "Who's paired with who in this one?"

"Well," Lavender answered. "Hermione is paired again with Malfoy. Ginny with Zabini. Harry with Tracy Davies. Ron with Parkinson. Theodore with Daphne Greengrass. And Seamus and myself. Shall we read some?"

"I don't want to read anymore," Hermione said. "I don't need to hear more about myself with Malfoy."

"Anyone else?" Lavender asked. No one else said anything.

"Looks like you're out voted Princess," Malfoy gloated. "I, for one, am thoroughly enjoying this form of debauchery. I think I quite like this muggle writer. They are certainly very creative. And they definitely have a way with words. This had been a very eye-opening experience."

Hermione blushed under the smoldering heat of his gaze. She understood now the phrase 'the pen is mightier than the sword', as this muggle writer had somehow caused Malfoy to look at her in a different light. She could feel his interest from the other side of the circle. She thanked Merlin once more that he hadn't chosen to sit next to her. It would have made the whole surreal situation all the more awkward.

Hermione watched as Lavender's eyes moved slowly as she read. Her stomach did an uncomfortable flip as Lavender's cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink and her eyes dilated. Whatever the girl was reading it was bound to make Hermione more uncomfortable than she already was.

"What does it say?" Ginny demanded. "By the look on your face Lavender, it's going to be good."

Lavender sat back and fanned her face. "It's..." she started. "Oh my. I've never read anything that hot in my life."

"Maybe we should look up something else," Hermione ventured as Lavender continued to fan herself.

"Oh, no you don't Granger," Pansy called from the other side of the circle. "We all want to hear this next bit. Go ahead Lavender."

Lavender cleared her throat and began to read.

_With a single, deft stroke delivered by her thumb to the underside of his length, the darker-colored crown emerged from its hood. She stroked over it again and again, pulling it back, fully revealing the tip of his penis._

_Her mouth watered to taste him. She'd held off on that desire for the last two rounds, feeling that the timing just wasn't right. Now, though, she wasn't going to wait any longer._

_Lifting him in a firm fist, she slowly pumped over his magnificent arousal once, twice... and then lowered her mouth to the plump, already damp head. With a sweeping thorough lick, she bathed him with her saliva, coating him with a layer of wetness at the same time as sampling his essence._

Hermione's eyes were squeezed shut in mortification as her cheeks flushed a dark pink. This was so inappropriate. They were reading porn in the middle of class for Godric's sake.

"Merlin," Harry breathed quietly.

Hermione's eyes flashed open and she caught the male members of their group fidgeting in their respective seats. She thought she'd die of embarrassment when she realized that they were adjusting themselves because they were all sporting raging erections.

"Alright," she said firmly. "It's time to move on. We do have a report to write and it can't very well be on the quality of muggle porn."

"Not so fast, Granger," Malfoy drawled. "I saw one here that mentions you and my Father. I, for one, am very curious at what could possibly be written about the two of you."

Ron scrunched up his nose in disgust. "I don't think I want to hear about anything that has anything to do with Lucius Malfoy."

"Too bad, Weasley," Pansy snapped. "We all want to hear. Go ahead Red. What does it say?"

Ginny mouthed the word sorry and then turned to the computer. "Well, this one is called Against the Wall with Lucius Malfoy. It's by Laurielove."

_He stared down at her, his eyes a crystal grey reflecting the cold light around them. The two of them were entirely alone. Hermione knew no-one would come this way. He had clearly been following her._

_She knew what she wanted immediately, knew what would happen immediately. She would do nothing to prevent it._

_He stepped into her again, looking down with the merest hint of a sardonic smile on his face. She allowed herself to be motioned back against the wall, the cold tiles chilling her back through the thin material of her shirt._

_Her breath came fast and heavy, making her breasts rise and fall rapidly before him. His eyes flicked to them and slowly his hands rose and began undoing the buttons of her shirt, not quickly, but with a languid insolence which infuriated and delighted her equally. When at last her shirt fluttered apart he pushed it off her shoulders just enough to limit the movement of her arms and allow him to push her bra straps partly down. A warm, strong..._

"Stop," Malfoy commanded. "I've heard enough. I've been disturbed enough and am likely to never get the image of my Father molesting Granger out of my head for some time."

"You're the one that suggested it, Ferret!" Hermione hissed. "Now, if we're quite done..."

"Oh, we're not done, Princess," Blaise Zabini rumbled, his voice low and smooth. "I'd like to hear more. I just found one starring you and myself."

"What's it called Blaise?" Theo asked.

"Ex Castro Tiberis by Lilmissxx," he answered.

"Well," Pansy chimed. "Read away, Blaise."

_Nestling her against his chest, they stared out of the window, their silence speaking volumes. They relished in the inaudible conversation that was going on between them, and felt comforted._

_When he allowed her to pull back, the marvel had finished. Her stomach gave a delightful lurch as she looked at him staring at her intently. Without realising what he was doing, he pulled her to him, and brushed his lips against hers. She placed a hand at the back of his neck and toyed with his hair, deepening the kiss._

"That wasn't so bad," Harry said.

"Yes," Theo piped up. "She wrote you quite tame Blaise. Too bad that we all know that you aren't like that in real life."

"Shut it, Theo," Blaise growled. "Oh, look here. There is another story by the same author with you and Granger. Let's have a look and see how she wrote you. This on is called Of Walls and Possession."

_Her breath flew from her lungs as his body pressed them both to the cold stone wall. Reacting quickly, she flung an arm in the vague direction of his cheek, but it was caught and anchored to the wall. Brown eyes met grey in a battle of wills, but it was she who swallowed and succumbed first._

_"What on Earth are you doing?" he cocked his head, quirking his lips at her before reaching down to nibble gently on her earlobe. Reaching up her free hand to try and push him away, she soon found it caught between their bodies, unable to move as he pressed closer. Struggling a little, she forcefully repeated,_

_"Nott! What the hell are you doing?" A dark chuckle washed over her ear, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips before quickly retreating, lest he gain any unwanted ideas. Another nibble to her earlobe, then his face came into view, eyes dark, lips twisted into what could only be described as a predatory smirk. A shiver briefly heated her blood._

_His only reply was, "Isn't it obvious, my sweet?"_

"See," Theo crowed triumphantly. "She must like me way more than she does you Blaise."

"Whatever, Nott," Blaise returned. "In case you failed to notice, she had you borderline forcing yourself on a girl."

"I think not," Theo returned. "Read the whole story. There's nothing wrong with allowing someone to dominate your pleasure."

With this statement, he winked at Hermione and she blushed from the roots of her hair all the way to the tips of her toes. Or at least it felt like it.

"Yes, do tell us Granger," Malfoy chimed in predatorily. "Are you into that kind of thing? You are always so in control, so _restrained_. Everyone has a kink, something that gets them going. Is that yours?"

"That's a question that you're not bloody likely to ever find out the answer to," she retorted hotly. He didn't need to know that most of her fantasies involved being held down and being taken. In fact, she'd happily avada herself before admitting that to him of all people.

"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much," Malfoy mocked.

Hermione just stared at him as he waggled his eyebrows, the heat in his charcoal gaze causing her abdomen to heat even further. She was going to need an extended session of alone time later to put out the fire scorching her insides.

"Ohhh, look here is on called Dirty by aviddaydreamer," Pansy said. "It certainly looks promising. Shall I read a little?"

"Go ahead, Pans," Blaise urged. "It might be even better than the last one."

_Positioning himself just outside a nearby drawing room, he waited, ready to deter any wandering party-goers, but luck was with him and the hall remained empty, He heard the click of the latch and ducked inside the dark room behind him, holding his breath as her footsteps approached._

Hermione tuned them out for a moment. They weren't giving up in their ridiculous quest to thoroughly humiliate her so she decided she was going to fight fire with fire. She was going to make them squirm for a change. She found the perfect story and waited for the perfect moment to strike.

_"Draco? What are you doing?" She backed up against the door, eyes wide and wary._

_Draco released her arm but leaned forward, resting his forehead against the door, just next to her temple. His heart was in his throat, pulse racing, skin tingling, hands shaking. He was so close. Turning his head just so, his nose brushing against the soft curls piled on her head, he sucked in a deep, greedy breath._

_She stilled beneath him, but he could see the violent heaving of her breast, the wild erratic pulse beneath her jaw. Lifting a hand, he placed it over her wrist and then smoothed it up the length of her bare arm, fingers curling around to feel as much skin as he could reach. He reached her shoulder and kept going, following the line of her clavicle to her throat, up to her ear and into her hair, still with his face turned into her, breathing in her smell while he explored her skin._

_She let out a shaky breath, starting to move away, but he clenched his hand into her hair, his other hand shooting to her waist and roughly pushing her back against the door. She gasped, but held still as he drew back to look at her. He could only guess at the look on his face, the raw, feral hunger etched into every line, flashing behind his eyes. His guess was more or less confirmed when he took in her responding look, eyes wide and frightened, lip caught between gleaming teeth._

_Keeping his hands on her, holding her in place, he held her frightened gaze as he leaned in and down, down to her exposed decolletage. Wetting his lips, he licked a slow, wide stripe from the shadowed valley of her breasts, up over her collar, along the side of her neck to her ear, taking the lobe into his mouth and holding it between sharp teeth._

_She shuddered beneath him and he released her ear, dragging the tip of his nose across her cheek until he was right in front of her, staring into those big, brown eyes of watched her closely, his expression fierce and challenging, as the hand on her waist slid up to cup her breast, kneading it once, forcefully. She shuddered again, her eyes falling shut and body trembling._

"Oi, who's the rapist now, Malfoy?" Ron accused.

"Shut it, Weasel," Malfoy threatened. "If you'd kept reading, you'd see that it was mutual. Besides, it is only fiction, isn't it?" He accompanied his statement with a smirk as he swung his dark gaze in her direction.

Hermione swallowed heavily as his eyes locked onto hers. Merlin, she hoped that he wasn't getting any crazy ideas from these stories. While she didn't hate him any longer, she definitely didn't harbor any sort of romantic feelings for him either.

"Shall I continue?" Pansy asked, interrupting their impromptu staring contest.

"No," she found herself speaking. "I've found a story that I'd like to share."

"Do tell, Granger," Malfoy challenged. "I hope it's as _titillating_ as this last one was."

Hermione resisted the urge to smirk. "I assure you that it is." Just not in a way that he will appreciate she added silently. "This one is called These Little Earthquakes and is written by DarkRiverTempest." She mentally apologized to Harry before she began reading. This would embarrass him as well as Malfoy.

_This pattern of behavior persisted for three weeks, and by the beginning of the fourth, Draco was livid. Harry had left each afternoon, only to return flushed and wide-eyed, his hair askew. To the casual observer, he looked to be having an affair right under Draco's nose. His piercing was completely healed, yet not once had Potter ever approached him for sex, which was unusual since both shagged like rabbits beforehand. It all came to a head soon after Harry returned one evening, shaking and looking like he'd just had the shag of the century._

"Wait a minute," Draco interrupted outraged. "They made us poufters?"

"Yes," Hermione smiled. "They call it the Drarry ship. If you look, there are a lot of stories featuring Harry and yourself."

"Well," Draco all but growled. "I can categorically and emphatically say that I will never be getting with Scarhead."

"Feeling is mutual, Ferret," Harry hissed. "Hermione, why on earth would you read that? I think I'm scarred for life."

Hermione just laughed in reply. Their twin looks of disgust were worthy of a picture. She would definitely have to pensieve this moment later.

"Ohhh," cooed Lavender. "Here's another by the same author called To the Victor Go the Spoils. It's got Theo and Hermione."

_The crack of her hand against his cheek was loud and could almost be heard above the shouts of family and friends cheering on their respective prospects for the team. She didn't dare let him see that it stung the flesh of her palm like hellfire._

_His jaw clenched with suppressed fury, but he didn't move. When she raised her hand to slap him again, he grabbed her wrist and pushed her face-first into the unforgiving brick wall, keeping her arm twisted in the back._

_"Don't ever touch me like that again, Granger," he hissed low in her ear. He chuckled at her whimper of pain. "I won't let you do to me what you've done to Weasley." He relaxed his grip on her wrist and tugged her hand low, until she was forced to cup the obvious erection pressing against his Quidditch breeches. "I won't beg for your pretty quim, like he does." He pressed his full weight into her and ground himself against her hand and arse. "You'll come to me because I'm the one that will really satisfy you." Shifting her riotous curls over her shoulder, he kissed the nape of her neck, his breath hot on her skin. "Weasleys are a knut a dozen. I'm the only Nott left- rare and in demand." Theo thrust once more and then let her go. "And I'm exceedingly intelligent," he said proudly. "Think of all the possibilities."_

"Oh, goodness..." Pansy breathed. "That was hot."

"It was hysterical," Seamus quipped. "She gave it to Nott but good."

"Yes, but it seems like he put her in her place in the end," Blaise interjected.

"Right," Ron said. "But the Hermione we know wouldn't be like that. She'd give it to him like she did Malfoy in third year."

"What did Granger do to Draco in third year?" Pansy asked curiously.

"Nothing. Look, here's another one,"Malfoy deflected quickly. "This one is called Butterfly and is written by Savva. It is about Granger and my Grandfather. You certainly are a dirty girl in the fictitious world."

Hermione lifted her chin in defiance. And then started searching once more. She needed more ammo in this ridiculous battle that they were engaged in. She kept one ear on Malfoy reading as she searched for her next story.

_"Do you like your breeches on me?" Hermione abruptly halted and turned to him, forcing him to halt as well._

_"Yes, very much so, why?"_

_She shrugged her shoulder. "Just asking," said the witch nonchalantly. She shot a quick glance at him, turned and continued her walk, swaying her hips seductively. Abraxas sped up and, in a few strides, covered the distance between them. He caught her narrow waist and propelled her into his arms, causing her to drop the basket._

_For a moment, they both just stared at each other, listening to their pounding hearts and erratic breathing. "Hermione," the wizard managed to growl, pushing her firmly against the nearest tree. "I want to kiss you. Please, let me kiss you."_

_"Aha," she breathed, and, not waiting for him, she leaned up on the balls of her feet, wound her arms around his neck, and yanked him to her. The moment their lips met, the world around them ceased to exist. The blond wizard couldn't comprehend why he had waited so long. He could have had her in his arms for so many days._

"Well, Granger," Malfoy sneered. "Aren't you just the little seductress. You even manage to charm my staunch pureblooded ancestors."

"You sound like you're jealous, Malfoy," Harry observed.

"Hardly," Malfoy scoffed. "It's just hard to picture any of this happening."

"They are works of fiction," Hermione stressed. "As in, not real. Honestly, Malfoy. And here I thought you were smart. I've found another one. This one is funny. It's called Veelantine Surprise and it's written by Unseenlibrarian."

_"Yeah, well, "Scarhead is our superior, so watch what you say. I know how they got the Polyjuice. It was Granger. She brewed it herself, the clever little minx. She told me about it one day while we were on Death Eater surveillance."_

_"..."_

_"Draco?"_

_"..."_

_"Draco? Malfoy, did you hear me?"_

_"...{{{Granger}}}..."_

_"Draco? What's wrong? Your voice is all echo-y and resonating. You, you're... whoa, holy shit, I guess Draco Jr. isn't a disappointment after all!"_

_"...{{{Granger}}}..."_

_"Draco! Get that thing away from me."_

_"...{{{Hermione}}}..."_

_"Aaahh! Let go of me. What the fuck's wrong with your eyes? Snap out of it, man!"_

_SLAP_

_"Huh? What?Blaise, you fuck, what did you hit me for?"_

_"Because you were trying your damndest to hump my leg, arsehole! Your wings got all fluffy, and your eyes, your eyes were... weird."_

_"What? In what way weird?"_

_"Your pupils changed. They got really big, and went from round to heart-shaped."_

"Hahahaha..." Seamus guffawed. "Malfoy with heart shaped pupils. That's rich."

"Shut up, Finnegan," Malfoy warned. "It's not that funny."

"Too right it it," Neville snickered. "Read some more Hermione. I quite like this one."

_"What were you doing at work today?"_

_"I spent the day in the library. You and I have a new assignment in Research with..."_

_(SNNNIIIIIFFFF)_

_"Granger! Oh gods... {{{Hermione!}}}"_

_"Oh no, not again..."_

_"Shit, his wings are tearing through his shirt!"_

_"Draco? Draco! Fuck, man, your hair, it's... damn, look at it grow!"_

_"He looks like an angel again, guys!"_

_RIIIP_

_"Scrimgeour's scrotum, a well-hung angel at that!"_

_"{{{Hermione!}}}"_

_"Draco, get off me! No! Down, boy. I'm not Hermione!"_

_"{{{Yes, Hermione! I need Hermione! Ungh... ungh}}}"_

_"Lookit his eyes, Theo... dey look like hearts!"_

_"I'll be damned!"_

_"{{{ungh... Ungh... UNGH!}}}"_

_"Never mind his fucking eyes, you morons, get him off my leg before he squirts jizz all over me!"_

Hermione stopped. She couldn't read any more, she was laughing so hard. The Gryffindor side of the circle were all laughing loudly. Matter of fact, everyone was laughing loudly.

Except Malfoy.

"Come on, Drake," Pansy laughed as she took in Malfoy's dark expression. "Even you have to admit that the story was funny."

"Oh, yes," he said sarcastically. "It was bleeding, fucking hilarious. Now, if you're all finished laughing at my expense, I've found another story that has intrigued me. Seems like fictional Granger certainly gets around. This one stars her and a certain dark wizard. It's called Murder Splits the Soul by Winterblume."

_Riddle glared up at her, probably wishing to strangle her. Still, Hermione could also see the pain in his eyes. It was, to his credit, well concealed, but she knew where to look. A thin smile played around Hermione's lips as she looked down at Riddle._

_"How do you know...?" he asked, fury in his rough voice. "Who are you?"_

_Hermione's smile turned into an evil grin. It was time to drop the lies. Both, Riddle's mask and her own had been well played, but the curtain would drop soon and the actors needed to be unmasked. Their dance came to a close._

_"I would like to call myself Justice," Hermione said, voice cold as ice. "But I don't want to lie to a dying man. So, you might call me Vengeance."_

_Riddle swallowed dryly. Hermione noted how his breathing was laboured now, not able to repress the pain any longer. She enjoyed the sight._

_"You did this to me, didn't you?" Riddle demanded to know, eyes glinting with rage. As she smilingly inclined her head, he snapped, "Why?"_

_Hermione snickered softly. There was a small drop of blood at the corner of his mouth, slowly it rolled down his skin until it dropped from his chin unto his pristinely white uniform shirt. It left behind a ghastly red stain on the white fabric. It suited Riddle well, Hermione decided. Calmly, she replied to his question._

_"I'm very sure you can think of quite a few reasons as to why someone might want to kill you. In my case, though," A nasty smirk curled her lips. "I simply enjoy seeing you go."_

"Ummm...wow," Neville supplied. "That was very..." He looked like he was a loss for words.

"Dark," Theo finished. "I'm glad that you aren't dark witch, Granger. You would be awfully scary."

"You don't even know the half of it Nott," Ron mumbled. "She does have a wicked mean streak if you wrong her."

"Ron!" Hermione protested.

"Oh, do tell Weasley," Malfoy encouraged. "This sounds positively juicy."

"Ronald," Hermione warned. "If you say one more word..."

"Relax, Hermione," Ron placated. "I don't have a death wish."

The Slytherins in their circle looked at her curiously as she sat back, satisfied that Ron wasn't going to spill the beans on her exploits. She wasn't proud of some of things that she had done. But they had all been necessary at the time. She did what she had to do but that didn't mean that she need every Tom, Dick, and Harry to know what she was capable of.

"What?" she asked as their eyes lingered on her. She didn't like how they seemed to be reassessing her. She especially didn't like the penetrating eyes of Malfoy. He was plotting. She could tell.

"Well," she stated as she smoothed her skirt self-consciously. "We've wasted the class. On porn, no less. What will we write our report on?"

"That's easy, Granger," Malfoy stated. "We'll write it on the entertainment value of of muggle literature. And the fact that it is free on various websites. Besides, we have you and Potter in our group and you are both more than well-informed on the versatility of the Internet."

They spent the next few minutes hastily cobbling together an essay. All throughout the writing, she could feel the Malfoy heir's gaze on her. His stare heated her from the inside out. She tried to pretend that the stories that they had read earlier didn't affect her in any way. She couldn't deny that they had opened her eyes to the attractiveness of the Slytherin boys.

Class ended and she stayed back to turn in their finished essay. She was pleased with the end result even though they hadn't really done anything productive during the two hour class, they had managed to write about the value of good fiction. Reading was her favorite way to relax.

She left class with a bounce in her step, headed to the Great Hall for lunch. She didn't notice the shadow slinking along behind her. Not until her assailant pulled her into a dark classroom.

"Going somewhere, Granger?"

End Note: Ta-Da! So, what did you think? I sincerely hope that each and every one of you go to the profiles of the authors mentioned in this story. They are just a few of my favorites and their work is simply wonderful. I find myself going back again and again to reread and I eagerly read anything new that they publish. So, until next time...


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